The Big Picture

Economist Dr. Richard Wolff, Democracy At Work joins Thom. Sanders announced that he was running for the democratic presidential nomination - the media and the political establishment has been screaming that a self-described "democratic socialist" could never win the democratic nomination - let alone the presidency. But what is "democratic socialism" - how is it different from Soviet-style communism - and why is it completely off base to compare democratic socialism to Maoism?

Joe Madison, The Joe Madison Show/SiriusXM Urban View & Mike Lux, Democracy Partners/The Progressive Revolution: How The Best In America Came To Be, both join Thom. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren released a report recently that looked at 20 of the worst federal enforcement failures in 2015 - the report concludes that "Corporate criminals routinely escape meaningful prosecution for their misconduct.” In an opinion piece in the New York Times - Warren. She goes on to write: "But the administration's record on enforcement falls short - and federal enforcement of laws that already exist has received far too little attention on the campaign trail." She ends her piece by writing "The next president can rebuild faith in our institutions by honoring the simple notion that nobody is above the law, but it will happen only if voters demand it.” This falls short of an outright endorsement - but doesn't this sound a lot like Elizabeth Warren is coming out in favor of Bernie and his plan for bold progress - as opposed to Hillary Clinton's plan to build slowly upon what Obama has built?

Kevin Kamps, Beyond Nuclear, join Thom. If a new nuclear waste disposal plan goes forward - the Flint Water crisis could soon be the least of Michigan's worries. Isn't it time we abandoned nuclear power once and for all and embraced real clean energy that doesn't turn our cities into potential fallout zones?

Joe Madison, The Joe Madison Show/SiriusXM Urban View & Mike Lux, Democracy Partners/The Progressive Revolution: How The Best In America Came To Be, both join Thom. According to fans of Hillary Clinton - one of biggest problems with Bernie Sanders is his supporters - especially online. They’ve been deemed "Bernie Bros" - and Glenn Greenwald wrote recently that "It’s intended to imply two equally false claims: (1) a refusal to march enthusiastically behind the Wall Street-enriched, multiple-war-advocating, despot-embracing Hillary Clinton is explainable not by ideology or political conviction, but largely if not exclusively by sexism: demonstrated by the fact that men, not women, support Sanders (his supporters are “bros”); (2) Sanders supporters are uniquely abusive and misogynistic in their online behavior. How misleading is this term? And is this label going to backfire for the pro-Hillary camp - especially considering how Bernie is polling among women - especially young women?

Joe Madison, The Joe Madison Show/SiriusXM Urban View & Mike Lux, Democracy Partners/The Progressive Revolution: How The Best In America Came To Be, both join Thom. The Iowa Caucuses are offiically open - and that marks the official start of the 2016 primary season. "Political outsiders" have been the big story so far in this campaign - and they're counting on thousands of first-time voters going to the polls. We’ll be talking about the Iowa caucus and the 2016 presidential primary - in tonight's Progressive Round Table.

Ted Cruz has been endorsed by people who think Hitler was a gift from God - by people who think being gay deserves the death penaly - and by people who've called for the murder of abortion doctors. So why is the media still treating him like he's a serious candidate for president?

Tonight’s Progressive Roundtable discusses what to expect from tonight’s Iowa Caucuses, the scheduling of more Democratic debates, and whether Elizabeth Warren unofficially endorsed Bernie Sanders. Thom discusses the latest from Fukushima and the warnings to not nuke the Great Lakes with Beyond Nuclear’s Kevin Kamps and in tonight’s Daily Take Thom discusses how Ted Cruz’s endorsements from the radical right should worry us all.

Guest host Ari Rabin-Havt is in for Thom Hartmann tonight and discusses the Zika virus with RT Correspondent Marina Portnaya, where the candidates stand on the student debt crisis with the Center on Children and Families’ Elizabeth Aker, and Ted Cruz’s radical right endorsements with People for the American Way’s Drew Courtney. Tonight’s Rumble discusses last night’s Trump-less debate, Trump’s bizarre veterans rally, and who will win the Iowa caucuses. And in tonight's Daily Take Thom discusses the latest wedge issue the GOP is using to fire up their hateful base.

Guest host Sam Sacks is in for Thom Hartmann tonight and discusses the latest from Burns, Oregon with RT Correspondent Alexey Yaroshevsky and Salon’s Sophia Tesfaye. Tonight’s Politics Panel discusses the mainstream myth that Bernie doesn’t understand American politics, whether we’re going to see more Democratic debates, and Trump’s decision not to attend tonight’s Fox debate. In tonight’s Daily take Thom discusses how humans are destroying their own nests.

Jane Mayer, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right/The New Yorker Magazine joins Thom. For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds - I'm talking to Jane Mayer - who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1995 and is the author of three bestselling books. She’s also been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship - the John Chancellor Award - the George Polk Award - the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting - and the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence. Her latest book is "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

Like an alcoholic family that won't discuss alcoholism (and proving Don Quixote's warning to never mention rope in the home of a man who's been hanged), far too many Americans are unwilling to acknowledge or even discuss the ongoing collapse of democracy in the United States.